Sustainability has become the key challenge for urban planners, housing and infrastructure policy makers. Citizens are increasingly encouraged to live more compactly; in denser urban developments, to use less water and other natural resources and to choose public transport.

While councils, government agencies and private business invest in a broad range of promotions offering discounts on sustainable products and services, uptake has been slow and the impacts marginal at a time when environmental stresses suggest that we must act fast.

This book examines this pressing problem in a holistic way, discussing broad-scale sustainability policies and programmes for achieving sustainable urban futures. It brings together academics and practitioners to analyze the complexity and interdependence of principles, models, processes and practices of sustainability in a range of integrated sectors as well as the establishment and maintenance of sustainable physical infrastructure in cities.

Contents: Steering sustainability: what, when and why, Mike Berry and Anitra Nelson. Part I Transforming Cities: A sustainable cities framework for housing, Peter Newman; Ecopolis: concepts, initiatives and the purpose of cities, Paul F. Downton; Permaculture: design principles for urban sustainability, Dick Copeman; Policy approaches incorporating life cycle assessment, Tim Grant. Part II Collective Practices: Stationary energy: a critical element of a sustainable urban metabolism, Alan Pears; Sustainable transport in urban neighbourhoods: policy approaches, user responses, Jan Scheurer; Indicators, audits and measuring success, Richard Hyde, Richard Moore, Lydia Kavanagh, Melinda Watt and Karen Schianetz; Sustainable water systems and household practices, Joe Hurley and David Mercer; Integrated waste management and zero waste, Glenn Eales and Nutana Donaldson. Part III Community and Civil Society: Community action and engagement for sustainability, James Whelan; Westwyck: an urban sustainability demonstration site, Mike Hill and Lorna Pitt; The role of leisure time in achieving sustainability, Richard Denniss; Local multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainability, Tavis Potts, John Merson and Michael Kachka. Part IV Transforming Suburbs: Innovating for sustainability in estate development: VicUrban in Melbourne, Tony Dalton and Geoff Binder; Who can afford sustainable housing?, Bill Randolph, Margaret Kam and Peter Graham; Retrofitting the Australian suburbs for sustainability, Tony Dalton, Ralph Horne, Wim Hafkamp and Margaret Lee; Nurturing nature in the city, Sarah Bekessy and Ascelin Gordon; How smart is 'smart'? – smart homes and sustainability, Mike Berry, Mark Gibson, Anitra Nelson and Ingrid Richardson; Sustainable futures, Anitra Nelson; Index.

About the Editor: Anitra Nelson is Senior Research Associate, RMIT-AHURI, Australia.

Reviews: 'For those looking for more in the sustainability debate than a narrow focus on carbon trading and big picture governance reform, this book is a handy reference. It provides a comprehensive tour of contemporary sustainability practice across Australia, with an emphasis on grass-roots action.'
Marcus Spiller, Director SGS Economics & Planning Pty Ltd, Former National President, Planning Institute of Australia

'…a comprehensive overview of the Australian state of affairs for policy makers.'
European Journal of Housing Policy

'With its wide-ranging scope, this book could be very stimulating to policy-makers and practitioners, not only in Australia but in any national or local context. Moreover, it may also be interesting and useful for academics and students at urban and regional planning departments of universities.'
Journal of Housing and the Built Environment

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This title is also available as an ebook, ISBN 978-0-7546-8489-3

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Full contents list

Chapter 1 - Steering sustainability: what, when and why

Index